MLB The Show 23 player ratings with the top five at every position

Four players got the best news possible in the launch MLB The Show 23 player ratings. Shohei Ohtani, Jacob deGrom, Mike Trout and Aaron Judge all begin the new baseball season in the 99 Club, meaning they have the highest possible overall score in this year's game. But this would be a short piece if we only included that quality quartet. Instead, we're about to steer you through the top five players at every position, in your MLB The Show 23 player ratings guide. 

MLB The Show 23 SP ratings (starting pitcher)

• 1= Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels) - 99
• 1= Jacob deGrom (Texas Rangers) - 99
• 3 Justin Verlander (New York Mets) - 98
• 4= Max Scherzer (New York Mets) - 96
• 4= Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee Brewers) - 96

Jacob deGrom was the only starting pitcher to score a maximum 99 OVR last year – but this time around he’s joined by Angels ace Ohtani. Verlander is the lone newcomer to the top five, which bids farewell to Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers, 91) and Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox, 86).

MLB The Show 23 RP ratings (relief pitcher)

• 1 Andre Munoz (Seattle Mariners) - 86
• 2= Michael King (New York Yankees) - 85
• 2= AJ Minter (Atlanta Braves) - 85
• 4 Jhoan Duran (Minnesota Twins) - 83
• 5 John Schreiber (Boston Red Sox) - 82

A lowly rated crop at the reliever position, but that’s to be expected – all baseball’s best late-innings men can usually be found at the closer position. We have eight of those guys for your consideration below. Munoz tops this list with two standout ratings: 99 Arms, and 99 Velocity. Nasty.

MLB The Show 23 CP ratings (closer)

• 1 Emmanuel Clase (Cleveland Guardians) - 93
• 2 Edwin Diaz (New York Mets) - 92
• 3 Evan Phillips (Los Angeles Dodgers) - 90
• 4 Ryan Helsley (St Louis Cardinals) - 86
• 5= Josh Hader (San Diego Padres) - 85
• 5= Felix Bautista (Baltimore Orioles) - 85
• 5= Ryan Pressly (Houston Astros) - 85
• 5= Devin Williams (Milwaukee Brewers) - 85

After clocking up 42 saves with a phenomenal 1.36 ERA in 2022, Clese nabs top spot among pitchers called upon to finish games. He’s just as dominating in The Show as real life, with 99 Arm, 99 Velocity, 97 Breaking Ball, and 86 Control. Note that he also has the Night Player quirk - making him even more reliable after dark!

MLB The Show 23 C ratings (catcher)

• 1 JT Realmuto (Philadelphia Phillies) - 90
• 2 Will Smith (Los Angeles Dodgers) - 88
• 3 Alejandro Kirk (Toronto Blue Jays) - 86
• 4 Adley Rustchman (Baltimore Orioles) - 84
• 5= Willson Contreras (St Louis Cardinals) - 83
• 5= Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals) - 83
• 5= Travis d’Arnaud (Atlanta Braves) - 83

JR Realmuto tops the charts behind the plate, knocking Yasmani Grandal (Chicago White Sox, 74) out of the top five completely. Alejandro Kirk, meanwhile, is a newcomer to the elite list after a 2022 season in which he hit .285 with 14 home runs, and 63 RBI. That was enough for the glove man to earn a first All-Star appearance.

MLB The Show 23 1B ratings (first base)

• 1 Paul Goldschmidt (St Louis Cardinals) - 96
• 2 Pete Alonso (New York Mets) - 90
• 3= Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers) - 88
• 3= Vladimir Guerrero Jr (Toronto Blue Jays) - 88
• 5 Matt Olson (Atlanta Braves) - 87

What a monster boost for Cardinals cruncher Goldschmidt. He was rated 89 last year, but surges all the way up to 96 – and soars to the crest of the first base category. Guerrero topped the pile last year, but has to make do with sharing third spot this time around.

MLB The Show 23 2B ratings (second base)

• 1 Jose Altuve (Houston Astros) - 93
• 2 Marcus Semien (Texas Rangers) - 87
• 3 Andre Gimenez (Cleveland Guardians) - 86
• 4 Trevor Story (Boston Red Sox) - 84
• 5= Ozzie Albies (Atlanta Braves) - 82
• 5= Jeff McNeil (New York Metts) - 82

Even at 32, Jose Altuve remains the best second baseman in the league – batting .300 across 141 games in 2022, with 28 walks and 57 RBI. He’s an incredibly fun player to deploy in The Show. Highlights include 95 Contact against left handers, 88 Batting Clutch, and the Unfazed quirk – so he excels when hitting with two strikes.

MLB The Show 23 3B ratings (third base)

• 1 Manny Machado (San Diego Padres) - 95
• 2= Nolan Arenado (St Louis Cardinals) - 94
• 2= Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Guardians) - 94
• 4 Austin Riley (Atlanta Braves) - 93
• 5 Matt Chapman (Toronto Blue Jays) - 85

Manny Machado and Nolan Arenado took first team and second team honors at third base in the 2022 All-Star team – so it’s little surprise to see the MLB The Show 23 ratings stay consistent with that order. Machado’s sole weak points are 39 speed and 26 stealing – but you shouldn’t have to worry about those when he’s clouting homers into Row M.

MLB The Show 23 SS ratings (short stop)

• 1 Trea Turner (Philadelphia Phillies) - 92
• 2= Carlos Correa (Minnesota Twins) - 89
• 2= Francisco Lindor (New York Mets) - 89
• 4 Dansby Swanson (Chicago Cubs) - 88
• 5 Xander Bogaerts (San Diego Padres) - 86

Two years after appearing on the cover of MLB The Show 21, and one year after scoring a 94 rating, Fernando Tatis is no longer available in the game at all. That’s because he was suspended for 80 games last year after testing positive for an anabolic steroid. No word yet on whether he’ll return to The Show at some point in 2023.

MLB The Show 23 RF/CF/LF ratings (outfielder)

• 1= Mike Trout (CF, Los Angeles Angels) - 99
• 1= Aaron Judge (CF, New York Yankees) - 99
• 3 Mookie Betts (RF, Los Angeles Dodgers) - 97
• 4 Bryce Harper (RF, Philadelphia Phillies) - 95
• 5 Yordan Alvarez (LF, Houston Astros) - 94
• 6 Byron Buxton (CF, Minnesota Twins) - 93
• 7 Ronald Acuna Jr (RF, Atlanta Braves) - 92
• 8 Kyle Tucker (RF, Houston Astros) 90
• 9= Julio Rodriguez (CF, Seattle Mariners) - 89
• 9= Michael Harris (CF, Atlanta Braves) - 89

MLB The Show splits outfielders into three categories – LF, CF, and RF – so we’ve turned this into a top ten, rather than a fab five. Trout once again maintains his bombastic 99 overall rating, where he’s matched by Aaron Judge this year. Ronald Acuna Jr also notched the big nine-nine in The Show 22, but spirals down to a 92 score this time out. Wondering where all the left fielders other than Yordan Alvarez are? Arizona slugger Lourdes Gurriel Jr ranks second on that list, with an OVR of 87.